Monday, August 4, 2008

Da Doo Doo Doo, De Da Da Da...

Yes, infamous words sung by The Police many years ago. DH and I felt nostalgic, so off we went to SPAC last Friday night and spent an obscene amount of money to sit on the lawn to hear The Police and Elvis Costello. Hate to admit it, but the first time I saw The Police was 30 years ago when they had just released Roxanne and were still relatively unknown. My, how things have changed! There were about 20,000 people, mostly over 50 years old from what I could tell, singing and dancing along. Nice to know people my age can still rock and roll!

What am I knitting? I'm on the final (finally!) sleeve of In The Green from July 2008 Creative Knitting Magazine. It's a V-neck, short sleeve sweater that's worn over a tank or tee. The yarn is naturallycaron.com in silver and is 75/25 acrylic/merino wool. Same yarn as I used for the Argosy Shawl. SOTSiii begins soon. I bought Baruffa Cashwool in silver (I'm sensing a pattern here, no pun intended) and size 6 seed beads. I doubt I'll keep up with the clues, just like last time ;-)

My Baby met someone at his college orientation that he got along well with, and they decided to be roommates. Before they left campus they requested each other and a specific hall. Today My Baby got his roommate assignment-his new friend AND another guy AND in a different hall. He's one of the unlucky few that ended up in a triple. 3 guys in a room made for 2 yet is the size for 1. Needless to say he's not a happy camper. We're supposed to get a credit for the amount of time it stays a triple (many students move out for whatever reason and the room goes back to being a double) but I'd rather pay the full shot and leave it a double. How are 3 people supposed to live in a room 10x12? With 3 beds, dressers and desks shoved together? Plus PS3, tvs, computers, fridge...

Sigh, Manny Ramirez has been traded to the LA Dodgers. In return, Boston got Jason Bay. As much as I hated to see Manny leave, his time had come. In the 3 games Jason has played, he's been AMAZING! Soon we'll be saying, "Manny who?"

Thursday, July 10, 2008

The Final High School Graduation

Okay folks, I'm officially the mom of 3 high school graduates. My Baby graduated on June 28, one of over 500!

Sam

It was a weekend of eating, eating and more eating. DH's family came up from Virginia, which means we get together every night and just eat: pizza, wings, Chinese takeout, Italian food, cheesecake--everything! We realize we need to kick up the exercise a notch after these occasions.

IMG_1619.JPG

This weekend is My Baby's college orientation. College! Is this real? It felt surreal today when we went to Bed Bath and Beyond for dorm gear. I just had my first son (who, by the way, turned 23 in June). Now I'm getting my last child ready for college...

Another milestone: Favorite Second Son is now legal. Finally 21 years old. Now he can drink Corona in the house ;-)

What am I knitting? I finished the Buckled-Up Wrap from Creative Knitting Magazine for my friend Marianne.

buckle up wrap

Quick and easy knit. I used Naturally Caron Spa yarn, an acrylic/bamboo blend. Very soft, but a little splitty. I'm also working on the Argosy Shawl with another Natural Caron yarn, Country, which is an acrylic/merino wool blend. Like Spa, it too is soft and just a bit splitty. But for both yarns, the softness outweighs any splitting issues. My needles are rather blunt, which can make any yarn seem more splitty.

I finished the Menorah Pillow but messed up on putting it together, so I'm saving it for me and will try again. The other mistake I made with that pillow is I used Caron Simply Soft yarn-the fabric came out too floppy. Next time I'll use Red Heart which is much stiffer. The pattern calls for an expensive yarn, which I can't see using. It's a pillow, not a garment. As far as the pattern goes, it was much easier than I thought it would be. I'm not good with reading charts, but I decided to just go line by line and not worry about it. It only took a few days to finish the front.

So many projects I want to start, so many projects I must finish. I bought the yarn for the Mr. Greenjeans sweater, Berroco Comfort. Can't start until the Argosy Shawl is done, which should be sometime next week. I hope. It's been so hot and humid I've been out by the pool soaking up the sun. No knitting out there, just lots of reading.

Monday, June 2, 2008

I've Been Tagged!

This is my first meme-hope you find it interesting!
Who tagged me? Amy from http://knittingnovice.typepad.com

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?

A: I worked part time for Grand Union, an East coast grocery chain that went out of business in the early 2000's. I stopped working full time when my 2 oldest boys were still babies.

2.What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order)?

A: Since the day is almost over, I'll tell you 5 things I did: checked out the new Super Wal Mart that just opened a few miles from me (supposed to be the biggest in the world), walked with a friend, started sewing my youngest son's graduation memory quilt, knit on my Menorah Pillow, and of course, I'm currently listening to the Red Sox on MLB radio!

3. Snacks I enjoy?

A: This is a dangerous question. Anything chocolate-candy, cookies, cake. I like popcorn but I'm not a fan of potato chips or salty foods.

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire?

A: I'd make sure DH and I were taken care of in retirement, I'd set up trust funds for my kids. Travel would be high on the list, as well as helping less fortunate, though I'm not exactly sure how I would do it. A billion dollars is too much for anyone-it should be shared.

5. Places I have lived?

A: Albany, NY; Schenectady, NY; Latham, NY

6. Jobs I've had?

A: sold classified advertising for a local newspaper; the above mentioned Grand Union; most recently I was a substitute teacher's aide for our school district.

7. Peeps I want to know more about?

A: You tell me! Let me know if you want to play!


Sunday, May 25, 2008

Phew!!

School's out for summer!! I was the first one in the house to get to sing that song! I had to design a web site for my Web Design class, but Java....ugh...a written final exam. Once again, I felt totally clueless. Somehow, though, I pulled it out--another 4.0. Really, DON"T ask me how because I have NO idea!!

Favorite Second Son is home from college. Can't believe he's a senior already. He needs a car at college since he'll be student teaching next semester, so last Monday I helped him find a car- 2000 Honda Accord with 67,000 miles. I love my Honda Odyssey and I think he'll have good luck with this car. Now we have 5 cars for 5 people in this house. Yikes!!

FSS also had a good semester. His semester grade was 3.7, not too shabby. What made him happy is his overall GPA. He beat mine by 1/100 of a point. My GPA is 3.5-my liberal arts classes that I took originally many years ago that are being put toward my degree are averaged in to my GPA. Yes, there were a few B's in there. FSS has a 3.51 and he's thrilled that he outdid his mom!!

On the knitting front: disaster. I have never frogged as many projects in my life as I have the past few months. Thermal is no longer. Once I bound off for the armholes I couldn't keep in pattern and it looked horrible. Riiiiiip. At the same time I worked on a sweater my DH said he would actually wear. I thought since it was crochet it would be easier. Sadly, it wasn't. I found it confusing in parts. But here's the finished product, Kilroy Sweater:
Kilroy Sweater

I was also working on Stardust, a cute little sweater that seems more like a wrap to wear over a tank. At least that was my intent. After finishing the back and left front, I decided this little item is not for me. Guess what? Yup, riiiip.

Another ripped project was the Lace Cafe Curtain from KnitPicks. I tried 3 different yarns and could not get the curtain to look airy and lacy as is intended.

One other project I actually completed was the Voyager Stole Wrap. I had some aran weight yarn my sister in law brought me from her trip to Ireland. It's a very scratchy wool so whatever I made had to be something that didn't directly touch the skin. This is a pretty simple pattern, and one that would like nice in different weights and textures of yarn.
Voyager Lace Stole

I hope SIL likes the finished product; I made it for her as a surprise.

Current projects are another pair of Harry Potter socks from Charmed Knits, and the Menorah Pillow from Handknit Holidays. Let's see if I can finish these projects without ripping. Hope I haven't lost my knitting mojo!

Saturday, March 29, 2008

March Madness

My Baby is in high school, and many members of the band play in the pep band for Siena College just a few miles away. Well, Siena won the MAAC tournament, which means they got to play in the NCAA tournament--March Madness baby!!! Siena was chosen to play in Tampa, Florida. So, Sam and 28 other band members headed down to Tampa on March 20 (a charter flight, thank you very much!), stayed in a first class hotel and, as Sam put it, were treated like rock stars. Siena won their game on Friday night and played again Sunday. Sadly they lost, but what an experience! My middle son was also in the Siena pep band when he was in high school, and both my kids said people would come up to the band leader (the high school band teacher) and complement him for having such a wonderful and fun band. Well, after Siena lost on Sunday, the following game was San Diego vs West Virginia, I think. The SD team had no band, and asked the Siena band to play for them!! And paid each member $40!! Since the flight home wasn't until 7PM, they were more than happy to participate in another game. The money was really just icing on the cake. Can you imagine? Not only did the band get to see the games, they got to PARTICIPATE! The only negative was when Sam cut his foot on a pipe in the hotel pool. When the phone rings at 10:45PM and one of your kids is out of town...Sam should have gotten stitches but didn't. The Siena team trainer took care of his foot while they were in Tampa. As a result of no stitches it will take longer for his foot to heal. Sam being Sam, he was on national tv a few times during the games, all of which I captured and made my little movies, as I always do!

Let's see, what else is going on...oh yes...my Java midterm. Believe it or not, I got a B. I really think the teacher feels sorry for me. That's okay...I'll take what I can get!!

Nothing new on the knitting/crochet front. Still working on SOTSii. I'm on clue 6. Also plugging along on Thermal and the Kilroy Sweater for hubby. Haven't taken any pictures of anything recently. Maybe next time.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Java 10, Me 0...

...or "How Java is truly kicking my butt!!"

I had my Java midterm this past Thursday night-what a nightmare! Even the ones in my class who understand Java had a hard time. After the test it was on to the computer to work on our homework, another nightmare. And it's only going to get harder. Keep in mind, the only reason I'm taking this class is because it's required for a web design degree. I would NEVER take this class by choice. The teacher is great-the class is not.

On a lighter note, just finished SOTSii clue 3. Yes, everyone else is finishing clue 8. I guess I'm just a poke.I'm still on the first skein of yarn. I can probably get one more row done before I have to change to a new skein. Pretty impressive!

My Baby has finally finished wrestling season, for which I'm very glad. I hate watching him get twisted into a pretzel. I get so nervous that he's going to get hurt, for which I hear "Oh Mom, I should call you Captain Worry". Kids...they just don't get it! But here's more good news-he now has the school record for most wins: 35-7. Yippee! AND he won MVP lightweight on his team. Very cool!

Sam
Almost forgot-I bought some Berocco Comfort Sock yarn. It was only $7 and makes a pair of socks. So I figured, what the heck, it's worth a try. The yarn is made of nylon and acrylic and is very soft. Here's the finished product:
Classy slip up socks I really liked the yarn, and it wears and washes well.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

The Good News...and the Bad

Let's start with the bad...classes have resumed. You know what that means? Yes, Java Part 2. Ugh! Already the torture begins. This semester is only 2 classes, so I'm hoping I can keep up with my knitting. For the first time I joined a KAL. Secret of the Stole 2 begins this Friday. My yarn may not be here in time-I ordered Shadow from Knit Picks-but I'm looking forward to knitting a lace stole. Based on posts I read from the first SOTS, this should be a lot of fun. The chance to win swag doesn't hurt either!

And now for the good...the Modern Quilt Wrap is finished. It took about 5 weeks on size 7 needles, using Knit Picks Palette yarn. As intimidating as it may look, it's actually an easy knit. Just a little boring, though. It came out nice, but there is one problem-I really don't have anything to wear it with. It was one of those patterns that you look at and think, "Wow! That's pretty. I think I'll knit it." I have a lot of those knits in my closet. Next I hope to start Thermal from the Winter 2006 Knitty. First though I must finish My So Called Scarf for friend's birthdays. Another quick knit. For those I'm using Caron Simply Soft Shadows. This yarn is true to its name, it is very soft, which is important if the scarf is worn directly around the neck.


On a side note, My Baby won a wrestling tournament in his weight class this past weekend. Yup, all 119 pounds of him. This year he's really doing great. Too bad it's senior year, but now he can go out with a bang instead of a whimper.